Guide to Costa Rican Spanish

Arañar la superficie – to scratch the surface
Bocón – a big mouthed person
Buen conversador – a good talker
Cotorra – a chatterbox
Cotorrear – to jabber away
Dos palabras – a short conversation
Tener mucha labia – to be a good talker
Hablar a gritos – to shout
Hablar a solas – to talk to one’s self
Hablar a todo pulmón – to talk at the top of one’s lungs
Hablar como lora hambrienta – to talk a lot
Hablar consigo mismo – to talk to oneself
Hablar en serio – to mean what one says
Hablar en voz baja – to lower one’s voice or talk softly
Hablar entre dientes – to talk between one’s teeth
Hablar hasta por el culo – to talk a lot (vulgar)
Hablar hasta por los codos – to talk one’s head off
Hablar por hablar – to talk for the sake of it
La sobremesa – an after dinner chat
Lengua de trapo – a gossip
Lengua larga – a gossip
Romper el hielo – to break the ice
Subir la voz – to raise one’s voice
Sus actos hablan por si solos – your acts speak for themselves
Tener pico de oro – to be a good talker or have a gift of gab
Volar lengua – to talk

Tiquismos:

• Hablando del rey de Roma y aquí se asoma - speaking of the devil
• Tener buena hablada – to be a good talker in Costa Rica
• Volar pico - to talk in Costa Rica
• Hablan cartas y callan barbas - actions speak louder than words (proverb)

Cabildero para Cabilderos

Alcalde: mayor
Alcaldesa:  female mayor
Aprobación:  approval
Apoyo:  support
Aprobar:  to approve
Cabildear:  to lobby
Cabildeo:  lobbying
Cabildero:  lobbyist
Congreso: congress
Conservador:  conservative
Debate:  a debate
Debatir:  to debate
Derechista:  rightist
Destituir:  to impeach
Dimes y diretes:  arguing
Diputado: like a congressman or senator
Elección:  election
Elegir:  to elect
Escaños:  seats in congress or another political body
Exrema derecha: extreme right
Extrema izquierda: extreme left
Gobierno:  government
Izquierdista:  leftist
Liberal:  liberal
Libertario:  Libertarian
Moderado:  moderate
Partido político:  political party
Poder:  power
Político:  politician
Politiquear:  to do politics using dishonest tactics
Politiquería: to do shady politics
Politiquero: a person who looks out for his own political interests
Politizar: to politicize
Presidir:  to preside over
Proyecto de ley: a bill (legislation)
Rechazar:  to reject
Respaldo:  backing or support
Sesión extraordinaria:  a long political meeting of congress
Socialista:  socialist
Vetar:  to veto
Votación:  voting
Votar por:  to vote for

Tiquismos:

• Hijueputado is word play on diputado. See if you can figure out what it means.

No señor, yo estoy asustado no hay un Santo Patrono para los inversionistas

Since we are in holy week or Semana Santa the follow is appropriate.

Here are some of the definitions of the word santo: Perfect and free of sin. A person declared as such by the Church. A virtuous person. Said of a something that is dedicated to God or a holy service. Said of something that is venerated. Describing a religious festival. Sacred. Holy. Said of something that brings good luck. Characteristic of the Catholic church. A person’s saint’s day or name day. A picture of a saint. A type of portrait in a book.

Santo also is used in a variety of idioms and phrases. Here are some of them:

Alzar con el santo y la limosna: to rob everything
Campo santo: cemetery.
Dar con el santo en tierra: to let something fall
Desnudar un santo par vestir otro: to rob Peter to pay Paul
Espíritu Santo: Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost.
Guerra santa: holy war.
Hierba santa: mint (herb).
Hora santa: prayer given before the Eucharist, or in commemoration of the suffering of Jesus.
Lengua santa: the Hebrew language.
Llegar y besar el santo: to succeed at something immediately or on the first try.
Mano de santo: fast and complete cure for an ailment or problem.
No es el santo de mi devoción: not my cup of tea. José no es el santo de mi devoción. I am not keen on José.
Perder  el santo y la imosna : to lose everything
Quedarse para vestir santos: to remain unmarried (said of a woman).
Santa Faz: an image of the face of Jesus.
Santa Sede: Holy See.
Santo con cachos: a devilish person
Santo de cara: good luck. (Cierto es que no todo el mundo tiene el santo de cara. It’s certain that not everyone has good luck.)
Santo de espaldas: bad luck.
Santo de pajares: person whose sainthood can’t be trusted.
Santo y seña: military password
Santo patrón: patron saint
Santurrón: a hypocrite
Se le fue el santo al cielo: someone forgot what he or she was saying
Semana Santa: Holy Week (the week preceding Easter, including Good Friday).
Ser un santo: to be a saint (figurative)…good person
Tierra Santa: Holy Land.
Todo el santo día: the whole day long

Tiquismos :

Se descuidó San Pedro que se salieron los ángeles: a piropo or compliment said to a woman. San Pedro let the angels (woman) out of heaven.

Abue, deja de morderte las uñas!

These shortened forms are used in everyday speech

Abue is short for abuelo/abuela of grandfather/grandmother
Bici is short for bicicleta or bicycle
Cole is short for colegio or high school
Cumple is short for cumpleaños or birthday
Doc is short for doctor or doctor in English
Fut is short for fútbol or soccer
Guate is short for Guatemala
Hospi is short for hospital or hospital in English
La “U” is short for universidad or university
La muni is short for municipalidad or municipality
Nica is short for nicaragüense or Nicaraguan
Pana is short for panameño or Panamanian
Papi is short for padre or father. In Costa Rica Papi can also be used as a term of endearment for one’s husband, boyfriend or small boy.
Peni is short for penitenciaría or penitentiary
Poli is short for policía or police
Porfa is short for por favor or please
Presi is short for president
Profe is short for profesor or teacher
Prosti is short for prostituta or prostitute
Refri is short for refrigeradora or refrigerator
Tele is short for televisión or television
Tico is short of costarricense or Costa Rican
Guachi is short for guachiman or watchman

There are many more.

Tiquismos of the week:

• Tener más colmillo que un elefante – to be astute
  
• Tener más concha que una tortuga - to be shameless
• Tener más fe que San Roque - to be optimistic